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Man killed as pickup explodes in Fort Lupton train collision

A Union Pacific freight train collided with a pickup truck early Friday at an uncontrolled railroad crossing in Fort Lupton, triggering an explosion and killing the male driver.

The northbound train dragged the pickup truck about 75 yards before it broke apart and two flaming pieces continued to burn, said Fort Lupton Fire Chief Phil Tiffany.

No train personnel were injured and the train itself did not catch on fire, Tiffany said.

Fort Lupton firefighters were called at 4:57 a.m. They first went to the engine at County Road 8 ½ and then spotted the fully engulfed pickup cab.

The firefighters quickly extinguished what was left of the cab, then raced back to the train engine a half mile down the track and put out the portion of the pickup that was still clinging to the nose of the train.

The name of the victim has not been released.

The train was carrying a mixed load of freight, Tiffany said.

He said the intersection of County Road 8 and the train tracks only has stop signs and no railroad bars that come down as a train approaches.

"It's one of those things where you always need to be aware of what's around you," Tiffany said. "Never take for granted that there is not a train coming at any train intersection. Always stop and look both ways."

He said people are inundated with so many distractions including cellular phones that they aren't always paying attention to what's around them.

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